Disclaimers: All canon material from The Lord of the Rings trilogy belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers and Turbine. All other canon material belongs to their respected owners. Inspiration for this university fanfic belongs to misscam, who started all the other university fanfics. I only own the original characters, any inspired characters, the plot, etc.

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Welcome to Book II. :)

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Prologue:

The Amber Flames

For a moment, for a split second, Frodo Baggins lost track of the time. He didn't know where he was. For all he knew, he was surrounded by a barren landscape. How did he end up caught in this lonely place?

All around him were torches, lit to look like flames made from amber… or was it ember he saw? No, he was certain the color of the flames was amber. But how or why… he didn't understand. He…

Frodo's eyes flew open. He was back in his and Ebony's bedroom. And that dream… he rubbed his eyes, in an effort to keep them from falling back to sleep. But he couldn't fall asleep, not after the dream he just had. He checked his clothes. Yes, he was still in his white night clothes. Whoo. That was a relief.

His gaze now turned to his wife: Ebony Fisher. At least, that's what she kept saying her last name was. Didn't she know she was a Baggins? It was confusing enough as it was. He had yet to kiss her, yet to do anything to move their relationship along. Yes, Gandalf did take Ebony out of her life so they could meet. But so far, nothing happened. Not even a kiss. Frodo hoped Ebony's family would understand, but this was ridiculous.

Not only that, but the dream he woke up from. And those amber flames…

"Frodo?" It was Ebony. Sweet Ebony. She hadn't abandoned him. Not this time. "What is it?"

"Go back to sleep, Ebony," Frodo told her, softly.

"Was it a dream?" She asked, almost in a whisper.

"Yes, it was. One I hardly understand… whatever its meaning…" Frodo looked at her then with worried eyes. "You didn't have to come, you know. You could have stayed at home. Your home."

"Frodo, Gandalf took me out of my life. And now Aslan's brought us here, to this new world. It's just…" Ebony stopped. Frodo placed a hand on her cheek.

"I know. Me too." He kissed her forehead, in an effort to calm her. "The dream I had. There was a barren landscape and these amber flames. I still don't understand what it means or…"

"The fire's going out in the fireplace." Ebony pointed to the dousing flames in the fireplace before their eyes. Frodo understood. He turned to his wife again, telling her:

"That's good to know, but there must be a reason why I dreamt of those flames and that barren landscape," Frodo said. He couldn't his hand off Ebony's cheek, that is until she moved his hand. This small action made him hold her hand in his.

"Frodo, we'll find out what this dream means," she admitted, yawning.

"Go back to sleep. Unless Rose is in the kitchen, I'll prepare some eggs and sausage," Frodo said, getting up and pulling on a night robe.

"You don't have to." Ebony yawned. Frodo smiled at her.

"Go on. If you want to help, you can. If not…" Realizing Ebony was asleep again, Frodo left the master bedroom to the kitchen. To his surprise, Rosemary was present, nearly startling him.

Frodo remembered when he was first reunited with Rosemary. Only then, she panicked. He understood her reasons. It was a rough time for all of them, before they came to their new home, in the new world Aslan built: a university serving as an entire world, one he, Frodo, and Ebony helped name as The Heroes' University. The name suited the purpose of the world, for it was a Hero's World.

Frodo's thoughts returned to the present, the second Rosemary said, in a chipper voice, "Good morning, Frodo." She was smiling too. Okay, something was up with her.

"Rosemary, what are you doing?" He almost laughed at this display, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"I'm making breakfast." Rose chided. "Well, it's mushrooms and eggs, and so I figured: 'why not? There's plenty of food to go around'. Then I got to wondering why we're still here. It's been two weeks. I should be happy."

"Are you sure you're all right? Rosemary?" There was no response. "Rosemary Blain. What's wrong?" Frodo said, his voice raising a little. He calmed down the second his wife stirred.

"Why are we still here? Out of all the places you could have taken me, it had to be here. I've lost communication with my friends and family, Bane's always coming upstairs to the fourth floor for food and my company. But this is ridiculous."

"Shhhh! Your mother's asleep. Just give her time to rest."

"Oh, so that's it. Give mother time to rest… you wouldn't say the same to me. Long-lost or otherwise." Rosemary paused, as she put the eggs and mushrooms on a plate, as well as turning off the stove. Calming down, and sitting on the counter's stool, she asked in more of a whisper, "What are we to do? We're going to be stuck in this timeline for…"

"We don't know that." Frodo instructed her, "Rosemary, I'm giving you a teaching job."

"Teaching. My vocation's not teaching, it's animal behavior. At least, that was the last job you gave me here. I don't know why…"

"It's for the best." He added, calmly, "Besides, we need someone who knows the field. I know you like animals, but I'm giving you a teaching job with the descendants, or children of heroes. At least one group, one day out of the week. You're still new to this, and I'm already familiar with some or a lot of the heroes. That's why Aslan sent us here. I'm sure of it."

"What about Mum?" Rosemary said, surprising Frodo again. But in a good way. Rose continued to ask, "What role is she going to have?"

"It's been two weeks and, to be honest, I say its high time your mother had a teaching job. Wouldn't you?" Frodo asked, curious.

"Well, yes, but is she ready for such an undertaking?" Rose asked, concerned.

"You don't know what I was about to say." Frodo looked back at the master bedroom. "Better give her a job soon, or she'll think of something else."

"Why not put her on the writing job?" Rose asked further. "Isn't she a writer?"

"Maybe as a substitute teacher. So far, other heroes have that job. I don't think that she…" it was clear that he and Rosemary had some idea of what job to give Ebony. But how would she react to where they would send her. And as for the students… well, Frodo hoped the heroes present would go easy on his wife. But was his wife truly up for the teaching job?

It was only a matter of time before something started. Frodo wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. But was Ebony truly ready for the task? And what of… now he remembered what he was about to do today.

"I know one thing is clear: we need to start sending out more invitations," Frodo replied, winking at her in a joking manner.

"You're joking, right? You're going to put Mother and me on invitation duty?" Rose chided.

"I'm not asking." Frodo stood up and entered the kitchen. "The moment your mother is awake, whenever you're ready, we'll pitch in and help out the heroes who are sending the invites."

"Great. More descendants." Rose joked, sheepishly, "I hope they're friendly."

Frodo chuckled. "Me too, Rosemary." He added, calmly, "So do I." His gaze fell on a nearby window. It sure was sunny, bright and peaceful out there. His gaze returned to the eggs and sausage he was cooking. He sure hoped his wife wouldn't mind him cooking. He knew she wanted to cook, too. But… maybe another time, he would let his wife cook something special for him and Rosemary.

At least, that was his intentions. For now, they were at their new home and that was what mattered most. At the sound of the timer on the stove, his breakfast was ready. He moved the eggs and sausage to a plate, before joining his daughter at the kitchen counter.

By that time, Ebony yawned loudly, signaling that she was either waking up or going back to sleep. Frodo sighed. It was going to be another beautiful day on campus.

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Chapter 1 Teaser:

Felicity sat in her bed chamber, staring blankly at a small mirror. She had wiped it down before, but now she would have to again. Moving a strand of auburn hair away from her eyes, she continued her polishing, using a clean washcloth one of her mother's servants gave to her.

For some, saying Felicity was happy to be in the house of Cinderella and Prince Charming meant something. To her, she just called them Mum and Dad. Their white castle showed clearly in the daylight, but it was in her room where Felicity kept her most prized possessions and secrets. Her parents taught her well, and their kingdom flourished from it.

And yet, her father kept his activity to his study, finding everything they could about portals and whatnot. Felicity did not know what timeline they were in, and that was good. For all she knew, there were other realms, other timelines, that were playing their own life stories. But what did Felicity want most, besides a reflection of a beautiful freckled princess with a still fair face and blue eyes to counter the red… even she didn't know, and that was fine. At least she was safe in the palace, away from suitors who…

"Felicity," one of the maids said, alerting her back to the present, "your father wishes to speak to you. And if you are good this time, we'll…"

"Thank you. I'll be down soon," Felicity replied, setting her mirror down first before she darted out of her bedroom. The maid closed the door behind her, enough for Felicity to see the pinkish white covers of her four-poster bed. She always did like the colors pink and white… but besides that, she needed to see Father first.

Yes, that was a better idea.

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Okay, so a lot is happening so far in the story. Thanks for reading. :) There is more to come…